How Jimbo Fisher salvaged his first class at Texas A&M on national signing day

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Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher watches his team warm up before the Belk Bowl NCAA college football game against Wake Forest in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Dec. 29, 2017. Interim head coach Jeff Banks will coach the team in the game. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

COLLEGE STATION -- Jimbo Fisher was far from settled during the morning of his first national signing day as Texas A&M's football coach.

The Aggies were in contention for Arlington Lamar defensive tackle Bobby Brown, a one-time A&M pledge who was committed to Alabama until the night before Wednesday's signing festivities.

"I was a nervous wreck all the way up 'til today and what went on," Fisher said Wednesday evening. "Because you know the people you're recruiting against, and he's one of the most wanted guys in the country."

Everything you need to know about Texas A&M’s 2018 signing class

By the end of the morning, Brown signed with A&M. As the day went on, Fisher and A&M won a few more recruiting battles with some of the nation's most prominent programs.

For Fisher to win the championships required to live up to his 10-year, $75 million deal, these are the types of tussles the Aggies need to win to become a title contender. That fact wasn't lost on him.

"You've got to beat them in recruiting," Fisher said. "You've got to beat them on the field. And that's going to be extremely challenging."

Versatile Boling prospect Vernon Jackson joined Brown as an A&M signee who flipped from Alabama. On Wednesday, the Aggies had signed 13 players -- including eight new commitments -- on national signing day to bring its total to 23 players.

Jackson and Brown weren't the only notable wins over familiar powers. The Aggies also beat out LSU and Florida State for Montgomery (Ala.) Lanier quarterback James Foster, who spent his final official visit in Tallahassee at Fisher's former school.

Throughout his time at Florida State, Fisher had a knack for extracting some of the state of Texas' best players.

In 2012, it was Denton Ryan defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., one of the nation's top prospects who helped the Seminoles win the 2013-14 BCS title. In 2017, Fisher and Florida State signed Houston Episcopal defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, the state's top recruit according to 247Sports' composite ranking.

On Wednesday, Fisher's role was reversed as he flipped Brown, the first signee of the day, to keep him from escaping the state.

During the inaugural early signing period, A&M only signed 10 players as Fisher tried to hire a new coaching staff and get acclimated to a new school. Between that 72-hour window that ended Dec. 22 and the start of this week, the Aggies didn't receive any additional commitments to its 2018 class.

That changed at the start of this week when another former A&M pledge under the previous regime, Cypress Springs safety Leon O'Neal, picked A&M. The four-star defensive back chose the Aggies over offers from Clemson and Oklahoma, two of the four College Football Playoff teams.

With the likes of O'Neal, Brown and Foster in the mix, the Aggies had the 17th best class in the country, a solid mark for a new coaching staff that had to deal with an early signing period on top of the normal transition process.

"That dynamic changed everything," Fisher said. "It was a lot of hours. It was a lot of sleepless nights trying to get that done."

Despite the relative success Fisher had balancing those tasks, A&M's class ranking among its SEC peers shows the challenge he faces at his new school. While the Aggies finished in the top 20, they were sixth in the SEC and fourth in the SEC West.

When A&M fired Kevin Sumlin and hired Fisher to the richest deal ever given to a college football coach, A&M and athletic director Scott Woodward, who worked with Fisher at LSU, established finishing in the middle of the pack wasn't good enough.

A&M lost a few key battles with national powers on Fisher's first signing day. But the Aggies also picked up some wins against teams Fisher will need to beat on the field in order to reach the top tier of college football.

"We were at that top level at different places I've been, and we understand how to do that," Fisher said.

Fisher's big finish

A&M signed seven new commitments on coach Jimbo Fisher's first signing day. Here are some of the top names